Students protest as HEC cahirman visits UoP

PESHAWAR: The administration of the University of Peshawar (UoP) on Monday tactfully handled the students, who protested during the visit of chairman of the Higher Education Commission to the university.

The students started a protest rally from the new academic block of the university under the aegis of Muttahida Talaba Mahaz (MTM). The rally was led by Bilal Khan, Mohammad Suhail and other leaders of the MTM.

They were chanting slogans against the university administration. The students were interrupted by a police party outside the Teachers Community Centre and some officials of the university called the student leaders for talks at Peshawar University Teacher Association (PUTA) Hall.

Meanwhile, the function at the vice-chancellor secretariat where the chairman HEC was the chief guest continued. The talks with the protesting students prolonged until the HEC chairman completed his visit during which he chaired a meeting of the vice-chancellors of different universities of the province and delivered a lecture at the Convocation Hall.

After the chairman left the campus, the talks with the leaders of the protesting students concluded without any results. The students, who were not too many in number, resumed their protest procession and reached the vice-chancellor secretariat after passing through the Road No. 2 and different departments of the university.

Outside, the vice-chancellor’s office, the students staged a protest demonstration, which was addressed by leaders of the MTM. The speakers on the occasion criticised the university administration for the torturing the students a few weeks ago.They demanded of the university administration to immediately withdraw the hike in fees and overcome other administrative and academic issues in the university.

Meanwhile, HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Banori in his addresses to the vice-chancellors and the faculty and students of the university said that the HEC was a national institution and it should not be damaged through the sloganeering of provincialism and federalism.

The HEC chairman said after the establishment of HEC a big social change had been observed in different parts of the country. He said that now the educated lot in the country got much interested in making a career in teaching.

He said the HEC would soon launch the programme of National Academy of Higher Education, which would provide training opportunity to the young faculty members of different universities.UOP Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Asif also spoke on the occasion.